. >> simon: national elections were held. the man who had spent 27 years in prison was now a presidential candidate. >> we are one country. we are one people. i cherish the idea of a new south africa. >> simon: april 26, 1994. it's difficult for anyone born in a democracy to so much as imagine the thrill of putting a ballot in a box. >> i slept with my i.d. under my pillow so that i musn't forget it. how long have we been waiting! >> i'm going to vote, for the first time, as a black man. >> it was amazing. to see hundreds and thousands of people who had never cast a vote before waiting in long lines, people shouting for joy. that sense of happiness, that sense of freedom, that sense of liberation. >> for the people of south africa, this is indeed a joyous night for the human spirit. >> simon: there was no suspense election night. mandela won by a landslide, as everyone knew he would. ( applause ) >> it is you, the people, who are our true heroes. you have shown such a patient determination to reclaim the country and joy that